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Weekly Drabble Challenge: Word Beads#4 - Results

Woot!
It's word beading time!

Your prompt is to use ALL of the following words in your drabble: red, pencil, origami, beach, sauce, and angel
There's no "and, if's, or, buts" about it. Please bold the words so I can find them easily.

The following form must be used when submitting your drabble responses to this post -

Winners will be awarded 15, 10, and 5 points respectively.
All drabbles must be less than 500 words; All standard grammar rules, and MNFF submissions guidelines apply.
The challenge will be up for a week, and be closed exactly a week later (May 1st)

MithrilQuill and I will be judging them and posting results a couple of days later.

All questions should be referred to the Question Corner #3 - Do not post questions here. Only drabbles!

New for the Weekly Challenges:Due to a major lack of quality drabbles being submitted to the weeklies, Gato Loco will require that some real thoughtful, original submissions be posted from this moment on or you'll end up like this woman here. That's your one and only warning! XD

Other than that...have fun!

~Gato Loco~

I've left moddom/fandom...though don't be surprised if I get caught lurking once in a blue moon.
All questions pertinent to Ravenclaw need to be sent to ToBeOrNotToBeAGryffindor
If you wish to keep in touch, feel free to friend me on LJ - I don't friend anyone under the age of 18. Sorry!

Name: AzhureHouse:RavenclawTitle: He Will PayWarnings: Character Death (it's canon, though).Word Count: 402Authors Note: Yay, first post again! I came up with this idea about two seconds after reading the prompt and I had to start writing straight away! I will probably end up editing it several times before the thread closes, though...

His eyes prickled with unshed tears as he stared down at her lifeless body which lay amongst the ruins of her house. Lily’s beautiful, red hair splayed out around her head and her vibrant green eyes were hidden beneath closed lids.

The Dark Lord had promised, he had said that he would not harm Lily, only her husband and son. The Dark Lord had lied. Severus couldn’t believe that he had been so stupid, how could he have put so much faith in the one person that could not be trusted?

Memories of times past, times of peace and happiness, swam before his eyes…

Lily laughing at a joke he had just made; her eyes alive with unbridled joy…

Lily writing to her parents, she had insisted that she always use a Muggle pencil when writing to them, not a quill. She said that it seemed more personal. Severus, of course, never understood this…

Lily and Severus sitting comfortably by the lake at Hogwarts, Lily was attempting to teach Severus to make origami flowers. He had never understood the Muggle art. Severus just liked to watch her delicate hands shape and fold the paper…

They were eating in the Great Hall, Lily never making a mess while Severus always seemed to get sauce or some other substance on his robes…

Then, of course, that time in the Christmas holidays where Severus’ parents had gone away for a few weeks. Lily insisted that he come along with her family to the beach, where they owned a Muggle holiday house. That was the best holiday he had ever had…

The tears built up and then flowed freely down Severus’ cheeks. He should never have trusted The Dark Lord.

Snape turned away from the sight of his love’s broken body.

“The Dark Lord will pay for her death,” he whispered.

He didn’t care if it killed him, but the Dark Lord would pay.

A soft wind blew through the ruins of the house as Snape slowly made his way to what was left of the front door.

Once he stepped over the broken door he turned back slightly and muttered to both himself and his love, “He will pay, my angel, I promise, he will pay.”

Name: Coolh5000House:SlytherinTitle: Wedding PlanningWarnings: NoneWord Count: 499Authors Note: The 1,000 crane legend is true - I always knew there was a meaning behind folding a certain number of them and then when I googled it I found a link which explained their symbolism at weddings. Also I hope it's ok that I used the words `red` and `pencil` together.

Ginny looked up from the origami crane she was making as Harry entered the kitchen of the Burrow.

“Remind me again why we have to fold one-thousand of these things?”

He smiled at her affectionately. “According to Tessa, the ancient practice of a man and woman hand-folding one-thousand cranes symbolizes the patience and trust necessary to sustain a happy marriage.”

“Right; and now remind me why we hired her as a wedding planner?”

“I don’t think we did, I think she hired us.”

Ginny groaned. “This wedding is going to be a disaster! Where’ve you been all morning anyway?”

“Tessa wanted me to choose the sauce to have with the chicken.”

“I thought we were having salmon?”

“There was a change of plan apparently.”

She groaned again. He bent down and kissed her. “Don’t worry, in a week it’ll all be over; we’ll be married and relaxing on a beach in the south of Spain.

She began to kiss him back but they were interrupted when a toddler came running into the kitchen. She was wearing half finished flower girl robes with the hem trailing along the floor. She was followed quickly by her mother, talking in a distinctly French accent.

“Non, mon angel! Mama must fit your robes!”

The pair were quickly followed into the room by Tessa who, since somehow becoming Harry and Ginny’s wedding planner, never seemed to leave the Burrow. She was carrying her usual clipboard and red pencil which she used to make endless lists of what needed to be done. She frowned at Ginny as she entered.

“How are those Cranes coming along? You realise you need one-thousand for them to have any meaning.”

Ginny gritted her teeth and Harry, whose hand still rested on her shoulder, felt her tense. Knowing his fiancé was close to exploding he quickly interrupted.

“We’re coming along fine, though I think Fleur may need some help with Victoire.” He smiled at his soon to be sister in law who had finally convinced her daughter that they should continue with the robe fitting

Tessa gave Ginny one last look before leaving the room. As soon as she had gone Ginny threw down the piece of paper she was folding.

“That’s it! I’ve had enough. This wedding was supposed to be about us, Harry but somehow it doesn’t even feel like ours anymore. I don’t care about paper birds, or hiring a symphony orchestra, or lighting the garden with five-hundred pixies. I just want to get married in a simple ceremony in front of my friends and family. I want this to be the happiest day of my life but if she carries on organising everything it’s going to be the worst.”

He looked at her sympathetically. “It’s too late now; she’s already done so much.”

“I don’t care. Either she goes and we do this the way I want or we don’t do it at all.”

With that she rose from the table and ran from the room.

Adrian won a QSQ! Thanks to Minnabird for the beautiful banner. Click on it to read Stolen Magic - the story of the second wizarding war through a very different character's eyes.

Hermione walked sullenly down the beach, the wind whipping her hair out of place. It was the Summer Holiday, and her parents had decided to vacation near the ocean. They had assured her it would be fun, but so far it had been nothing but boring.

“Hermione, dear, come eat dinner!” Mrs. Granger called. Hermione ran up the boardwalk to the little shack they were staying in. She came in and headed straight for the table, searching for any letters from her friends.

“Was there any letters?” She asked eagerly. Her mother couldn’t speak because she had a pencil clutched between her teeth so she shook her head. “You working on a new drawing?” Hermione loved her mother’s drawings. They were always very intricate and precise.

“Yeah. But I just can’t seem to find the inspiration.” Mrs. Granger sank into a chair next to her daughter just as Mr. Granger entered the small kitchen.

“Good evening, Granger family!” He took the pot off the stove and stirred the red spaghetti sauce slowly.

“Hullo, dad.” Hermione said. She smiled slightly as her dad pretended to drop the pot of sauce onto the floor.

“Honey! Careful!” Mrs. Granger cried. Hermione laughed and glanced out the window. A single snowy white owl flew by and she got up suddenly.

“I’ll be right back.” She bolted upstairs to her room, meeting Hedwig at the window. “Hedwig!” Hermione petted the owl softly as she pulled the letter from her leg.

Hermione,
It’s been so long! We miss you tons. How’s the sunny beach? Here it’s well, rather dreary actually, but we’re alright. It’s been awhile since we heard from you, so we decided to write you this… pointless letter. Miss you tons!

Harry and Ron

Hermione smiled at the boys’ short but sweet note. She always loved hearing from them. She wrote back quickly, and attached it to Hedwig’s leg before letting the owl fly away

“Hermione!” Her father called. She folded the letter and put it in her pocket and then walked downstairs, the aroma of the meal wafting through the air.

A little boy sat at the end of the kitchen table, his feet dangling from the chair as he coloured with the pencils that lined the table. His blue eyes were eager as he drew shapes from edge to edge of the parchment. This had to be perfect. The boy bit his lip, squinting his eyes as he held the parchment away from him. It was defiantly one of his greatest masterpieces that he had yet to create and it was almost done.

“Hugo!” Rose whined. Her red curly hair bounced up and down as she stood looking at her little brother with her hands on her hips. “Do you think you could help? It’s not everyday that Mum and Dad have an anniversary!” It was remarkable how much the young girl resembled her mother. The only difference seemed to be the colour of her hair.

“I’m cumin, I’m cumin!” Hugo muttered, carefully folding the parchment. It wasn’t any type of origami, but it was special to him and it would me the world to her. “Mummy, will love this!”

“Well she’ll never see it unless you help make breakfast! Dad loves pancakes, but I cant get the syur---syri--sauce open!” The girl’s eyes looked pained. Rose hoped that the absence of syrup wouldn’t ruin their special breakfast that they were making for their parents. She quickly turned back to the stove, trying to flip the pancakes in the pan, though she was having trouble because she wasn’t quiet tall enough to fully reach the burners. However, Rose Weasley had her mother’s determination and her father’s stubbornness.

Hugo carefully hopped off his chair and came to Rose’s aid. He was few years younger than Rose, but the two seemed to be a package deal. The little redhead pulled over his chair and placed it next to Rose, allowing her to cook with a little more ease.

“So what does the card say?” Rose asked as Hugo handed her two large plates. This anniversary breakfast was going to be perfect, at least in the children’s eyes.

“It says, ‘Love from your little angels, just like you told me to write!” Hugo said with a roll of his eyes. He was the spitting image of Ronald Weasley. Rose opened her mouth to add something as she climbed off the chair. “And yes, I drew the beach in the back!”

“It’s important! It’s where they got proposed!” Rose said, not exactly sure what the word proposed meant but she used it as if she did. She suddenly turned to look at the old clock that hung on the wall. “We gotta go! They’ll be gettin’up any minute! Let’s go, Hugo!”

And with that, the two little redhead grabbed the two plates of food and ran up the stairs. They left the kitchen in a state of disaster, waiting for Hermione’s touch of cleanliness later.

She couldn't seem to restrain herself from looking at him. Every few minutes, she would catch herself shifting in her seat to see his face clearer, even though she was sitting right next to him.The way his crimson red hair fell into his eyes made her smile. The slightest movement he made made her smile, to be honest. The way he was fascinated by things she had always taken for granted, Muggle things, like pencils and origami .The way he looked when he pledged his love for her...even though it was only because she let him copy her homework, but still. She was simply in love, with everything about him, from the way he poured sauce to his concern for others.She pictured them walking at the beach, hands entwined. He was so perfect. She loved Ron, wholly loved Ron.

Name: Pinkcess of the Abyss
House: Slytherin
Title: Through the Window
Word Count: 500
Author's note: You're sat beneath the window of the Weasley family home... The drabble is all dialog. I hope that is allowed?

“Once upon a time there was a little girl, with hair as red as…”
“Tomato sauce?”
“Well, yes, but, no, um… with hair as red as the sunrise.”
“The sunrise is orange.”
“Sometimes it’s pink.”
“Pink hair! Pink hair!”“Fred! George!”
“Sorry dad.”

“Okay, once upon a time there was a little girl, with hair as red as the sunrise and she lived in a beautiful house with her mummy, her daddy, and her brothers; William, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George and Ronald.”
“Why does Fred come before George?”
“Because I’m better than you.”
“Are not! Dad, why does…?”
“Fred was born first.”
“No he wasn’t!”

“Can we please just get on with the story? Good. So, the little girl with hair as red as the sunrise was happy to live with her family and her family was happy to live with her; she was the perfect little angel.”
“No she isn’t.”
“Yeah, Ginny’s a right pain in the…” “FRED!”
“Daaad, Fred knocked the flower pot over in the garden!”“Ginny!”
“Tattle Tale!”
“I did not!”

“Will you all be SILENT! I am telling a story! Good. Now… where’s Percy?”
“You’re the one telling the story!”
“This isn’t part of the story.”
“But you said you were telling the story!”
“I was, but then I noticed your brother was missing, now where is he?”
“Which one?”
“Ginny; don’t be smart.”
“But you always tell us to be smart.”
“Merlin give me strength. PERCY!”
“Yeah dad?”
“Where have you…?”
“Dropped my pencil.”
“Why do you have a pencil?”
“I was taking notes.”
“Right, right. Of course you were.”

“Dad?”
“Yep?”
“Can we get on with the story now?”
“Yes Ron; we can. So, one day the little girl with hair as red as the sunrise was kidnapped by an evil muggle and left in a tall tower by the sea.”
“I get to go to the beach?”
“No; you’re locked in a tower.”
“But I’m at the beach?”
“No… well, yes, but you’re locked in the tower: you’re sad!”
“I don’t want to be sad.”
“Well, tough! You. Are. Sad.”
“Daaaad, omvvvvv you made Ginny cry.”
“Oh, shoot, Ginny dear: don’t cry, come here… Um… you get rescued!”
“I do?”

“Yes, um… Percy help me out here…”
“A big dragon comes and EATS YOU!”
“I said Percy not Ron!”
“But I want to get eaten by a dragon; that’s cool!”
“You don’t want to be eaten by a dragon Ginny.”
“But Charlie promised he’d feed me to one!”
“I… I…”
“What happens to Ginny if she isn’t eaten by a dragon?”
“She’s… um… um…”

“Dad, this isn’t a very good story.”
“Where’s mum?”
“At Aunt Murial’s helping make Origami swans for Cousin Richard's wedding.”
“Who’s cousin Richard?”
“I don’t know, a cousin, called Richard, who we love very much.”
“But we don’t know him?”
“Um, no?”
“Is the story finished?”“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“I locked you all in the tall tower by the sea and threw away the key.”

I wake up a little earlier than usual, and it is a good thing I do, because the sight that first greets me upon opening my eyes is his sleeping face beside me. I don’t think I have ever seen him so peaceful before. He might as well be an angel - with jet black hair, of course.

It takes me a little time to figure out what has awakened me, and I realize it’s the baby in the cot beside the bed. Though the baby is nearing a year now, my husband, being his caring and protective self, insisted on the child being kept close at all times. I pick up the toddler clad in red pajamas and walk to the window.

The air is cool yet still, making the world look freshly washed and sparkling. The flowers in our tiny garden resemble origami ones rather than real. Although my husband would only chuckle if I tell him that.

We will be leaving for a holiday soon. He has gotten some time off from his work, and I had stopped working altogether just before the baby was born. We would be leaving to spend two weeks on a warm and sunny beach in Wales. It would be nice to go somewhere relaxing. Both of us can do with some rest.

I put the baby back in the crib and reach for a wayward pencil that always seems to be lying around, no doubt there in case a sudden inspiration strikes - for a potion ingredient or a new type of baby sauce (in my case). I start to jot down a list of things to do before leaving for Wales and stop mid-stroke.

A slight rustling sound from the bed tells me that he is stirring and waking. Even before his eyes open, his hand reaches to where I should be lying, and he sleepily mutters, “Lily”.

Smiling, I cross the room to the bed and place a kiss on his forehead. “Which one?" I ask.

Name: Hallie/BeautifulDreamer07House: GryffindorTitle: You Will Not Be ForgottenWarnings: None, really.Word Count: 499Authors Note: I've always been fascinated by history and I especially love writing historical fanfiction. This was a great oppurtunity! BTW, Hatsu means "first born" and Kaiya means "forgiveness."

“Kaiya! Kaiya, come on! Mother would like us to walk to the store and get some sauce for the soup.”

I hastily shoved the little origami flower I had made into the pocket of my kimono, hoping that my sister, Hatsu, would not see. Though it was not wrong to make origami, the reason I was doing it would upset my family and I had no desire to do that. Bracing myself, I turned to find Hatsu directly behind me, her angelic face troubled and her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“What are you doing, Kaiya?” she asked.

I sighed heavily. I could not lie to Hatsu, not in any capacity. She could always see through me, no matter how big or small the lie. My stomach dropped as I pulled the little red flower out and handed it to her. She inspected it carefully for a moment and then handed it back to me.

“Why are you making origami?” she asked, her eyes still narrowed.

I sighed again and looked down at the tiny paper in my hand. “I…I heard some of the Muggle children talking today,” I said quietly, barely more than a whisper. “They said they were going to make origami cranes and flowers, take them to the beach, and set them in the water to remember those who died at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”

I looked up fearfully to see how angry I had made my sister and was surprised to find that she was smiling. Confusion washed through me. Our parents had told us, in no uncertain terms, that we were not to have anything to do with anything pertaining to the war raging around us. It was mostly a Muggle war, though the European wizards were seeing their fair share of trouble, and our family had steadfastly avoided involvement. Still, I cried, along with the rest of Japan, when news of the fate of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had come to us and I listened to the Muggle radio in horror. And yet, even with this horrific event, my parents and Hatsu steadfastly ignored the Muggle populace and the war. But I could not ignore it. I would not ignore it.

“You aren’t angry with me, Hatsu?” I asked my sister, shocked.

Hatsu shook her head. “No,” she said, putting her arm around my shoulders. “I know that you are more sensitive to the Muggle world than most of us are. I think it’s good that you are standing up for what you think is right. Come on,” she added. “Let’s get you to the beach.”

I followed Hatsu in amazement as she grabbed a pencil and scrawled a note to our parents. She and I practically ran to the beach where the Muggle children were already gathered. One by one, we carefully sat our flowers and cranes into the surging waves and I watched mine float out, farther and farther, until it was lost in the blue sea.

Name: RushiaHouse: RavenclawTitle: Letters at BreakfastWarnings: noneWord Count: 426Authors Note: I couldn't remember any references in the books to wizards or witches using pencils, so I acted accordingly. Remus is in a Muggle Studies class, and he liked the idea enough to go out and get one.

“My parents bought a puppy,” Peter announced at the breakfast table, scanning a letter.

Remus, sitting next to him, leaned over to look over his shoulder. “Is that him? Cute.” With a nod from Peter, he took the picture and handed it over for the other two Marauders to see. Sirius and James looked at the picture then at each other, sharing a thought: It looks like a curly cotton ball.

“I guess,” Peter said, shrugging. Then, he made a face and added, “If they hadn’t named her ‘Angel,’ anyway.”

Sirius snorted, nearly spilling the sauce all over his toast. He carefully picked up the bottle and moved it away from his plate. “Well, she certainly looks like one,” he said, snickering into his pumpkin juice at Peter’s expression.

Peter reached over and snatched the picture back. “I didn’t pick it!”

“So, what’s in the rest of the letter?” James said, smirking at Sirius. “Any news about your cat Princess?”

“No,” Peter snapped, trying to stop blushing and failing miserably. “My parents are going to the beach over vacation and want me to go with them.”

Remus spoke up before the other two could, trying to save Peter from their friends. “What beach? I’ve been down near the English Channel a few times before. Pretty nice, but the water’s freezing.”

“We’re going to Spain, actually.” He grinned a little, darting a glance at James and Sirius, hoping for approval. “Got a cousin who moved there, and he’s getting married in July.”

Peter tried writing with it and grinned. “Thanks!” He scrawled a quick note on the bottom of the letter and handed it back to his owl Flash. “Wait for me!” Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he hurried to catch up with the other three.